The invention relates to skate boot construction such as used in ice skates in general and more particularly for playing hockey, and for in-line roller skates.
Skate boots and particularly hockey skate boots have always been fairly rigid, especially in the ankle area. This rigidity provides a high performance skate, which properly support the ankle of the skater. Providing flexibility at the ankle area of the skate boot has always been achieved at the expense of support and performance. Some skate boots have been designed with cutouts at the level of the ankle, on each side of the boot where creases would normally develop. These cutouts effectively increase flexibility of the skate boot but reduce the ankle support and therefore the performance of the skate. Many of the design approaches for skate boots in the prior art have failed to appreciate the relationship of the dynamics of the foot in the skating motion, relative to the overall structure and operation of the skate boot.
Skaters generally want a certain amount of rigidity in the skates around the ankle so that proper support is provided. On the other hand, when the skater is breaking in a new pair of skates, the rigidity makes this break-in period more difficult. Thus it is desirable to provide such rigidity in a manner that still permits localized flexibility to make the skate more comfortable. Some skaters have been known to leave the upper eyelets of their skate boots untied in order to get the flexibility in the ankle area that they require for their style of skating or simply to increase the level of comfort of the skate boot.
Thus there is a need for a skate boot that provides flexibility and comfort at the ankle area, while a certain amount of rigidity in the skates around the ankle so that proper support is provided.
It is thus an object of the invention to provide a skate boot adapted to be flexible at the ankle area while providing good lateral support for the ankle of the skater.
It is another object of the invention to provide a skate boot that provides performance and flexibility without having to be xe2x80x9cbroken inxe2x80x9d by the skater.
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a skate boot comprising a foot element adapted to be mounted to a ground engaging skating implement and for receiving at least partially the foot of a skater, and an articulated cuff for encircling and supporting the ankle of a skater. The articulated cuff is partially inserted in the foot element and slidably coupled to the foot element to permit unrestrained limited pivotal motion of the articulated cuff relative to an axis coinciding approximately with the pivot axis of the skater""s ankle.
Advantageously, the skate boot comprises a belt like coupling for linking together the articulated cuff and the foot element. The foot element comprises a passageway on each side of the skater""s ankle and the articulated cuff comprises belt like lateral extensions inserted in each passageway thereby slidably coupling the articulated cuff to the foot element. Preferably, the passageway is made of a lateral shoulder attached to each quarter of said foot element with a lower stitching line and an upper stitching line which define said passageway therebetween. The articulated cuff includes an ankle brace supporting the back and sides of the skater""s ankle and a tendon guard extending upwardly from the ankle brace for supporting and protecting the lower rear portion of the skater""s leg, the tendon guard further comprising a reinforcement member which itself comprises the belt like lateral extensions.
Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description and the drawings.